Profiling for success – Learning styles
Learning Styles
Have you ever wondered why some lectures or lessons really grab your interest and others leave you cold? How interested you are in the subject will obviously play a part, but learning styles are just as important.
Learning is often described as a cycle. Many popular models have described four stages or preferences in this cycle. Roll over each label to see the characteristics associated with each stage:
Theories of learning styles are based on the belief that people differ in how comfortable they are with different stages of the learning process. Put simply, different people learn in different ways!
Learning styles – Why understanding is important
The theory of learning styles tells us that learning should be maximised when the way in which we are taught matches our preferred style. When learning experiences do not match our preferred style we find learning more difficult or incomplete.
Understanding your learning styles therefore helps you to:
· recognise the ‘style’ of different learning situations
· maximise learning when your preferred style matches the learning environment
· recognise learning environments that you may find difficult
· develop strategies to help deal with difficult learning environments
· shape your personal learning environments and strategies to make learning most effective
Remember, we can all learn in all environments. Sometimes we just need to do things a bit differently or be prepared to work a little harder!
Learning to work with others
Learning is an essential part of many modern jobs. Learning styles therefore tells us something very important about how we approach work and how we work with others with different styles. Remember, the ability to work constructively with others is a skill valued very highly by many top organisations.
Learning styles – Becoming a better learner and beyond
Here is the learning cycle again. Roll over the different learning styles to find out what environments they are likely to find more difficult and see a few tips for dealing with these.
Developing your style of learning to cope with different environments takes time and effort, but is an essential skill for both your academic study and career development. Try the following:
· identify the ‘style‘ of different learning environments you experience
· work on the development suggestions in the learning styles reports
· when starting new learning tasks, think about what styles will be most productive – don’t just use your preferred style
· when working in groups, think about how each person contributes in terms of their learning style
· think about your learning style in group tasks – what effect does this have on others?